Social/search: Snapchat snaps up News talent

Messaging platform Snapchat has appointed former News Corp NSW sales director Kathryn Carter as general manager for Australia, Business Insider reports.

The appointment completes Snapchat’s new Australian team as the network moves to expand its local footprint following the Australian launch of its news curation platform, Discover, in Australia in February last year.

Ms Carter joined News as group sales director in July 2013 and was appointed to the NSW position in January last year.

Meanwhile Bloomberg reports Snapchat has signed a historic deal with broadcaster NBCUniversal to allow the platform to publish highlights from the 2016 Olympic Games, the first time a US network has shared video of the Olympics.

A dedicated channel will be set up on the mobile app for the games where Snapchap will create daily “live stories” produced from NBC content, athletes and fans at the scene.

Twitter rebrands as a news app

Twitter has rebranded itself in the Apple App Store, quietly shifting its mobile app from the Social Networking category to News.

The change follows Twitter’s launch of its news curation platform Moments, arriving in Australia in March this year, and the release of the company’s second quarter earnings that revealed sluggish user growth.

The move comes as lines blur between social networks, digital publishing platforms and news aggregators, while tech companies like Twitter roll out new publishing tools to attract and retain publishers.

These platforms are also establishing news director and editor-type roles, with Twitter’s live streaming app Periscope recently hiring an editor-in-chief to commence in mid May.